After taking some time away from the discussion of the future of Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and, it seems, the fate of Western Civilization, the Clippers and Celtics have restarted the negotiations that could land Garnett and Rivers in LA, with Paul Pierce presumably to follow.

Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers could land with the LA Clippers if talks between the Clippers and Boston Celtics result in a trade. (AP Photo)

The Clippers continue to insist that guard Eric Bledsoe not be included in any deal. Instead, they would send DeAndre Jordan and a draft pick to Boston, straight up for Garnett.

The Celtics have a trump card, though, in that they have the rights to Rivers, who still has three years and $21 million on his contract. Rivers has an agreement with the team by which he can walk away from his contract at any time, but there is also a non-compete clause in the deal. That means he can’t return to coaching for a year if he does walk away.

But the Clippers have been waiting out the Celtics. They have two perfectly capable options to replace Vinny Del Negro—Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and ex-Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins. They’ve made it clear that they could hire one of those to candidates and not have to give up anything.

As one league source said, “The Celtics are losing Doc either way. How can he come back and coach that team now? How can he go back and work with Danny Ainge like none of this happened? So the Clippers can just be patient and the Celtics will be in a position to get something rather than get nothing.”

One thing that could make the deal better for Ainge would be for the Clippers to take on one of the mistake contracts Ainge gave out last summer. Jason Terry is owed more than $10 million over the next two seasons, and Courtney Lee has three years and $16 million on his deal.

By shedding one of those salaries, trading Garnett and buying out Pierce, the Celtics would be able to get comfortably under the salary cap. They won’t have enough to make a full, max-salary offer, but they will be able to chase the kind of young, versatile free agents Ainge covets.

The bigger issue for Ainge is that the movement of Rivers will allow him to get what he has been after for the last two years now—a rebuild of the aging team that was originally centered on Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen.

More than that, he will be able to do so without having to be the fall guy should the rebuilding project sputter. Ainge was considering deals involving both Pierce and Garnett for the last two seasons, but did not pull the trigger. If Rivers goes to the Clippers and takes Garnett with him, it will be Rivers who comes out as the bad guy, not Ainge.